Water motor



Patented May 8, 1928.

,U NTED STATES; PATENT CFU@ .'EDWIN s, BRoTHERa or WATER' Appiicatioii inedV May 25,k

This invention relates to water motors and tlie'general objectof the invention isto provide a simple, economical and hizggflilyfelA iicieiit construction adapted to be operated -trom a faucet and capable, inl turn, of operating small tools appliances, such, for

example, asa'dental too y f From a more specific standpoint,v itis the object of the invention .to providea construction wherein the parts can be economically manufactured from sheet metal, so kas tok render the manufacturing operationsv susceptible of being carried'` out by sheet metal stamping and formingvr dies. To this end7` l5` theparts are so constitutedthat they may be readily stamped and formed by dies and thereafter assembled 'in an efficient and economical manner.

importantpfeature of the invention resides in the 'novel forinjofrotor which constitutes a salient feature of the invention. l This rotor is struck up 'in a die from a sheet metal blank in such'lmannei" asto form in'` the blank a series' of'iadial 'corrugations, the faces ofwliich corrugations serve inpractice as the vaneswofjtlierotor.` The 'construction oi a rotor in this manner is not only desir. able trom the standpoint of econoniyLbut'V has the furtherV advantage olj' producingfa rotor of high eiliciency and wherein the varies are iirmly supported throughout. By this arrangement, moreover, thefweight.ofy the rotor is minimized. I It is further characteristic of a rotorconstructed as described that it is reversible. That is to say, it may be driven rfrom jets` directed against the vanes in either direction. The housing" for tlierrotor isnpreferably made in the form'of two complementary sheet metal'sections adapted to be brought into cooperative relation and thereafter a portion of one may be spun over a portion of the other to permanently assemble the` parts. The direction of rotation of the rotor is controlled by ya .water switchingk member 4adapted to be manually operated to direct a jet against thek vanes of therotoruinthe direction appropriate toy the desireddirec tion of rotation of such rotor.y This water switching member is positionedwithin the inlet end ci thecasing and is also of sheet metal construction capableof ,formation in suitable stamping and vformingdies'- `Features of the inventiom other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereisnoi'ilrrhziv,l NEW YORKQ" Moroni." Y i i i ieee. 4kserieu Nalinnes.

drawings;` A y y The accompanying drawing v'illustrates' one Vpractical embodiment of thefinvention, but;

the-fconstructi'onfr 'shown' therein is lto 'be understood' as illustrativa.. only, and not as deiining `the limits of the invention.

Figure l is a facefview oi a water motor eniliodying,r this invention ywith oney section ofk the casing removed.

FigureQ/is a Figure Figure .3 is ancdge'elevation of-"arotor:

" 'draw'vings,` l v`designates Referring to the `thc rotorfot a motor. It is, in practice, 'of' sheet metal, stamped and formed by suitable i dies into radial corrugations.

gations 'are so formed asutofprovide a series 'of radially extending inwardlyV i varies 2, 'the surfaces ofl whichare'substan ysection yline o1"K y' tapering tially plaiie'gthroughout the greater,l portions`v` of .their rextentsy "andwhi'ch planes 'extcndyf .40

radially and are substantially lparallel"to the axis of thei'otor.y Thebest results are" obtainedy when thef'planes Which incliidethe.

vanes 2 alsoiinclude/fthe"axisjoftherotor.VAV

formationI connected by supplementary vanes of which may be made -to loc- 3, ythe `planes 4 y y cupy substantiallyztlie same relation toV the axis of the rotoras the planes of the vanesQ. f'

By `making the curves at which the fvanes 2 and join one `anotherrelatively large, I

lfind that 'satisfactory results `are obtained ifA the planes' otitlie supplement-al vanes 3 areiV in angular relation to the axis of the rotor *as*A will be apparent from Figure y3. This ar-" rangement facilitatesy the mani'pulation' of` the metal andpermits a` somewhat wider vane than would arrangement.

The, central portiomof the rotorisasy4 substantially ,flat

shown in'Figuresl andQ I and in the center of thisilat portion is an aperture to receive a shaft.l i When forming Abe Vpossible lwith lthe other;

the aperture, the marginthereofjisfprefer-'i i ably struck" up? slightly, Figure 2, to provideva Y y boss impartingftini creased thickness at the aperture.`

shown at6, to provide/fa shoulder 7@ 'X `The rotor is slipped uponftlieV reduced portion 6v with apwa's ier `8 between the rotor and the shoulderff." A washer 9 is thereaf ter placed againstithe outer face ofthe rotor and the end of the reduced portion 6 there after upset or headed over, as shown at 10,

to tightly clamp the` parts in permanentV scribed.V

The rotor is operable within the casing embodying two sections 12 and 14. These sections are, inthe main, of complementary shape, so as to conform, generally, to the cross sectional contour of the rotor.l The section 12 is provided with a periheral wall 415, the free edge of which is in the form of an upwardlyiared flange 16, while'the outer margin of the section 14 is adapted to be spun` or wiped over the flange 16, as shown at 17, for the purpose of permanently' securing the parts together. I

The section 12 is provided centrally with alaterally extending portion 18, centrally perforated to receive the reduced shank` of' a bearingk 19 and the free end of the reducedA shank is spun over to clamp the section 12 tightly to said bearing. The spindle ex'- tends through the bearing and is rotatable therein. The sect-ion 14 is provided centrally with an outwardly extending portion 120 aty the centerof which is an inwardly.ex

tendingprojection21 adapted to seat in the depression 11 and form a bearing for the free end of the spindle.

Inwardly extending beads 22 Vare formed on both sections and adapted to cooperate with the flat portion at the ycenter of theA rotorto limitV the4 end play of the rotor and provide forl proper clearance between the rotor and the respectivesections 12 and 14;

Positioned in one end of the casing is a` partition 23 forming beyond such partition a water chamber 24 having outlets 25, 25 at itsopposite sides and through which outlets water from the chamber 24 isradapted to Vbe directed against the vanes of the rotor. lVater is fed to this chamber through a thimble 26, both ends of which are reduced. The inner end extends through a perforation in the wall of the casing section 12 and'is spun outwardlyto tightly secure the thimble to said section; With the other reduced end of thethimble 2G"is similarly secured a )sheet metal holder 27., the distant side of which is provided with an opening 28;

.Within the shell 27 kis positioned two coaxial tapered sleeves 29 and 30.- The sleeve 29" is-employed 'if the motor is used with a small' faucet, but is removed to permit the motor to be placed' on a'large faucet. In this manner,;a detachable union between the faucet andthe chamber24 is produced.

Operable within the chamber`24 is a water switching member 311. This constitutes in effect-a valve. It' is constructed from sheet metal and embodies a substantially segmental portion 32 at the periphery of which is formed a Harige 33: The flange bears againsththe walls of the casing and the partition23 and the resilient or springy character of such partition holdsthe switching member against lost motion.

lVhen the switching member` is in the position shown infull lines inFigure' 1, `water en teringthe chamber 24through the nipple 26 will'be directed through the opening`25 to drve'the rotor infone direction and when the-switching member is'ein the dotted line position of Figure 1, waterwillbe directed th rough the opening 25 to drive the rotor in the other direction, s

The switching m'einber is operated by a suitable handle 34 positioned on the exterior of the casing section 12,the parts being locked togetherl by means of' av rivet'35,-Fig ure 2`clearly shows the construction.k Th'e rivet is squared atv both ends with' an intermediate cylindrical portion. These squared ends cooperate with the valve and handle and are headed overto lock the parts together and at the same time preclude rotation between said parts. Washers 36 are utilized tof minimize' friction'.

If it be assumed that the switching member is in the' full line position ofFigure 1, it will be apparent that water will issue from the openinge'25 in the form of a jetl which will be directed againstl such vanes of the rotor as are withinr the path off/fthe jet. The part'sare so designed as to direct the jet' in a properdirection', whereby Vit caused toimpinge thevanes 2 i-nsuccession. As a ymatter of fact", the ,jet will impinge more than diie of the varies 2` a't a time and will accordingly impinge-` the intermediate vane or vaines' 3, so that there is an appreci able overlap exertingV af drir'ing force not only onthe varies 2, butalso upon oneor moreofthe varies 3. This is in marked contradistinction to generalpra'ctice and `rcsults fromthe employmentof thenovel form of'erotorwhich I have described.l There is thus not only driving'power exerted against the main varies, but also against the'supplementalV vanes.

Another important feature resides in the factthat the openings 25. and 25 are shaped to efficiently direct the jet upon the vanes. That is to say, one end'wall of each of these openings or slots isA substantially tangential to the rotor, while the opposite end wall is cut on an angle to the rst endw'all; so as to approach a radius extending from' the center of the rotorthrough the opening.- By this arrangement,the opening or slot flares in an' outward direction, so that'the jet is fanned. Thus,.the vanes of the rotor come into cooperative relation with ythe jet in a gradual manner and leave cooperativeiUU lill) vrelation with the jet .invlike-manner,y there being a steady buildingup and falling ofi rofthe forcing' ofthejet during this opera-v tion with respect to any particularvane. This 1s in pronouncedcontradistinction to jected lto the'fullforceof the jet whereby there is produced great sudden strains and` noise. The rotorvof the present invention operates noiselessly for the reasonswh-ich I have set forth.

In practice, thefinotor'isoperated with the inlet end of the casing upright, and the rotor is constructedy with relativelyy little clearancebetween it and the walls of the casing, so that even after the force `ofthe water vis spent, its 'Weight Vwilltassist in turning the'rotor. The water is discharged from the' casing through an outlet or discharge opening 37'at the bottom thereof. v

In all prior water motors of which I am aware, it Vhas been the-practiceto feed the water directl from" the faucet through` a f C nozzle to the vanes.` "By the vpresent invention, however, the water is fed into the supp ply reservoir'24 where a body of water is maintained at all times under the` pressure induced from the facue't."By this arrangement, a more steady supply is obtained and a more flexible control is provided. This will be apparent when it is bornevin mind that when the kfaucet is opened to `allow water to flow into the reservoir, it will start to flow from the opening 25 before pressure is built up in such reservoir and as such pressure builds up, the strength `of the jet will be slowly built up and there will be a gradual starting action imparted to the rotor instead of a sudden crash of the water against the vanes as is the case in prior constructions.

It will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description that the elementsof construction which constitute the motorof this invention are of 'extremely simple construction. They are susceptible to economical manufacture by stamping and forming dies and the assembly of such parts is such as to enable these operations to be carried out expeditiously and economically. Furthermore, the construction is efficient in the performance of its intended functions and also from the standpoint of water consumpf tion, since with the type of rotor shown,

requisite power may be obtained with a` minimum water consumption. i

It will be noted, that the casing is of substantially hour glass cross section and the rotor is also of substantially the same shape and they cooperate witha relatively close fit, just suflicient for proper clearance, so that the corrugations of the rotor form with the walls of the casing pockets adapted to receive and contain water from the jets.

'Ihusafter the force of the water hasbeerr spent, the weighty of the water in these pocketswill assist in rotating the rotor `until said.y water is discharged at the bottom ofthe casing. If the said walls ofthe casing were niade flat and a rotor of substantially hour glass cross section positioned therein, ythe water which will simply flow by the rotory after the force of the water was spentv andr4 much of the power of the water to rotate the. lVith theV construction f shown in the drawings, however, maximum rotor would be lost.

efficiency yin water power is obtained.

The drawings illustrate ythe invention in its preferred practical form, but the inven! tion isto be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having ythus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is: f i l l. In a water motor, a rotor con'iprising'a single disk radially corrugated to` forni vanes, a casing in whichthe' rotoryismounted to revolve, and means for directing a stream of water 1n a substantially ,tangens tial direction against the corrugations ofi the rotor, said casing being shaped to` substantially conform to the crossL sectional shape of the rotor andbeing closely fitted,y with respect to the opposite faces of said rotor to form with the vanes thereof pockets adapted to receive and contain the water directed against said vanes. v

2. In a water motor, a rotor comprising a single disk radially corrugated to, form vanes, a casing in which the rotor is mounted to revolve, and means for directing a stream of water in a substantially tangential direction against the corrugations of the rotor, said ywater directing means being operable to direct the water against the blades in either of. two opposite directions to determine the speed of rotation of the rotor, and manually operable meansfor controlling the position of the water directing means, said casing being shaped to substantially conform to the cross sectional shape of the rotor llU and being closely tted with respect to the i opposite faces of said rotor to form with the vanes thereof pockets adapted to receive and contain the water directed against said vanes. i

3.'In a water motor, a rotor embodying a single sheet metal plate radially corrugated to form vanes and lof substantially hour glass cross section, and means for directing a stream of water against the vanesL casing being provided with rected against said vanes in either direction. 4. Ina Water inotor7 .a rotor embodying a plate radially corrugated to orm Vanes and of substantially hour 'glass cross section;

.5. 4In avwater motor, a. sheet metal casing embodying a plurality of sheet metal Sections secured together to icorrn a casing oi' substantially hour glass cross section, said an-inlet and an outlet. a radially corrugated sheet metal-rotor-of substantially hour glass cross section operable Within the casing and closely fitting with respect thereto, a sheet metal shell associated with the inlet, yieldable moans positioned Within the shell for 'rictionally supporting the casing uponv a faucet. and .valvit larnieans positioned within the casing for directing Water entering the casing into engagement With the rotor in one direction or the other to impart rotationto the rotor in corresponding directions.

6. In a Water motor, af rotor embody-inga sheet metal plate provided vWith radial nate varies occupy planes substantially including the axis of the rotor, and ineans for directino` a stream ot Water against said alternate Yanes along an airis substantially,l

perpendicular to said planes.

7. A. rotor 'for Water motors embodying a sheet metal plate provided with radial corrugations Jforming the Vanes of the rotor;v

said corrugations beingso ioiinedthatialternate Vanes occupy planes substantial-ly including the axis of the rotor.

8. Afrotor for water motors embodyingl a sheet metal plate provided-v with'a substantiallyy iat central portion centrally perforatedto mount the rotor on a shaft, and which plate is radially corrugated between the substantially flat central portion and its outer circuint'erenceto Jfoi-in a succession Vof Vanes, said corrugations being so formed that alternate vanes occupy planes substantially 'including the axis oi the rotor.

In testimony Wlieieoi,;EDiv1N S. BROTHERS has signed his namevto this specilication this 15th day of May, 1926. p

EDXVIN S. BROTHERS. 

